A criminal group operating under the cover of state authorities has been exposed in the Odesa region. Employees of the district Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC), along with accomplices, abducted men, held them in the draft board building, and subjected them to torture. The main goal of the criminals was to artificially improve mobilization statistics.

The scheme of illegal mobilization

According to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), six officials from the district TCC were involved in the criminal scheme. To find potential victims, they recruited three representatives of a local public organization. These employees engaged in searching for men on the streets and gathering information about them.

Once a target was identified, the victims were forcibly taken to the draft board building. There, they were illegally detained and prevented from leaving the premises. Investigators established that methods of brutality were used against the detainees, including physical beatings and psychological pressure.

Brutality and torture

During the investigation, particularly grave circumstances were recorded. Law enforcement officers confirmed facts of sexual violence against men who were illegally detained in the TCC building. During searches of the premises, torture instruments were seized: rubber batons, hammers, and other items used to inflict pain and intimidate victims.

Detention and criminal prosecution

Law enforcement agencies detained all nine members of the criminal group. They have been officially notified of suspicion of committing serious crimes committed by an organized group:

  • Torture (Part 3 of Article 127 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
  • Illegal deprivation of liberty (Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
  • Robbery (Part 4 of Article 186 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The court satisfied the prosecution's request and placed all defendants in custody without the right to release on bail. Currently, investigators are continuing their work to identify all persons involved in the crimes, as well as searching for other possible victims.

Context: fighting corruption in TCCs

This investigation is part of the large-scale work of law enforcement agencies to expose criminal schemes in the field of mobilization. Recently, the police in the Kyiv region detained an official from the Boryspil district TCC who promised help in evading the draft for $2,500. The crime was uncovered immediately after the bribe was received.

Furthermore, the SBI exposed a large-scale desertion scheme operating in four regions of Ukraine. Organizers took between $8,000 and $15,000 to smuggle mobilized servicemen out of military units. These facts indicate systemic problems requiring strict control by the state.